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2016 Buick Verano

Gas

Compact Cars
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 2

Complaints1 crash · 1 fire · 2 injured reported 59

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 24 mpg

2017 2016

The 2016 Buick Verano is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact sedan with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Verano, is EPA-rated at 24 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 59 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Buick Verano — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Buick Verano · Photo: IFCAR · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Verano	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	21	29	24	$2,800
Verano	Gas	FWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	20	30	24	$2,800
Verano	Gas	FWD	2.4L 4-cyl	21	31	24	$2,800

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 36444, 36445, 36446.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Verano	6 / 10	Bin 4	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sedan/Saloon
Doors	4
GVWR class	Class 1: 6,000 lb or less (2,722 kg or less)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	2.4 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV)

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: 1SD, Convenience (1SG), Leather (1SL), Premium (1ST)). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	183.9 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	71.3 in
Height	58.3 in
Wheelbase	105.9 in
Track, front	60.6 in
Track, rear	61.4 in
Curb weight	3,300 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	61/39

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here one configuration: 4-door Sedan Base/Turbo. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

54180

189 vehicles 98% reported repaired built Feb 16, 2016 – May 12, 2016

Problem General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016 Buick Verano vehicles manufactured February 16, 2016, to May 12, 2016, equipped with a 2.0 liter turbocharged engine. The engine fuel line assembly may be misrouted, allowing the fuel line to contact the surface of the engine. Risk If the fuel line contacts the engine, the fuel line may wear, resulting in a fuel leak and increasing the risk of a fire. Fix GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line assembly, free of charge. The recall began on August 19, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300. GM's number for this recall is 54180.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF

NHTSA campaign 16V595000 reported Aug 11, 2016 General Motors LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

▲high

Power Train

50490, 50491

8,367 vehicles 98% reported repaired built Apr 5, 2016 – May 27, 2016

Problem General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2016-2017 Buick Verano and 2016 Chevrolet Malibu as the electronic park lock lever may allow the ignition key to be removed without the transmission being in PARK. Also, certain 2013 Buick Encore, 2011 Buick Regal, 2013-2014 Buick Verano, 2011-2016 Chevrolet Cruze, 2010-2013 Chevrolet Equinox 2013-2015 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2011-2013 GMC Terrain vehicles may have been serviced with similar defective replacement electronic park lock levers. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 114, "Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention." Risk If the key is removed without the transmission in PARK, the vehicle may rollaway as occupants are exiting, increasing the risk of injury. Fix GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the key cylinder lock housing, free of charge. The recall began on October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, Buick 1-800-521-7300, and GMC 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 50490 and 50491.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF

NHTSA campaign 16V502000 reported Jul 5, 2016 General Motors LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific Verano

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Buick publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Buick’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Buick Verano, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

59complaints filed

1 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 2 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 5 · 2017: 9 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 9 · 2020: 6 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2023: 2 · 2024: 4 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 2

Most-cited components

Air Bags 23

Electrical System 15

Engine 8

Power Train 7

Unspecified 7

Exterior Lighting 4

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Service airbag lights appears for driver side airbag even though all modules are new, not defective nor have they been tampered with

Air Bags at 60,000 miles May 18, 2019 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11208390

Beginning in may, I started noticing odd declines in accelerations, randomly, even when using cruise control. Then, I almost stalled out on the road & lost power steering. This is dangerous & scary. I took it to the dealership & reported a hard shift from 1st to 2nd gear and my radio shutting off randomly, too.

Electronic Stability Control at 29,000 miles Sep 4, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11124253

Head lights are not bright enough and pose a very significant danger. Dealer says that it is standard. I have complained on 2 warranty service visits including today

Exterior Lighting Aug 23, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11121850

The A/C turns off due to high engine temperature. There is a loud fan noise. Sounds like my car is still on. The alert turns on and off randomly

Engine at 52,365 miles Aug 17, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11120630

The contact owns a 2016 Buick Verano. While driving 35 MPH at night with the low beam headlights activated the contact's view was obstructed by the upper layer factory tint on the front windshield. The contact stated that the issue was not present with the headlights from oncoming traffic or while driving on lighted roadways.

Visibility/Wiper at 803 miles May 4, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10983447

The contact owns a 2016 Buick Verano. While driving 30 MPH, the contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop properly. The vehicle eventually came to a stop. The failure occurred a second time and the contact had to apply the electric parking brake in order to stop.

Service Brakes at 17,703 miles May 3, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10983274

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Buick itself: 26 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 6 killed, 33 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every Verano model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 28k

miles, typically

Half the 32 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 6,000 and 51,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

under 10k 10

10k–20k 2

20k–30k 6

30k–40k 3

40k–50k 2

50k–60k 3

60k–70k 1

70k–80k 2

80k–90k 0

90k–100k 0

100k–150k 2

150k + 1

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
4 DR FWD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆	11%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 1,059

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-09-26

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 1057 service bulletins, 1 service campaign, 1 other

Most often about: Equipment, Electrical System, Engine, Power Train, Equipment Adaptive/Mobility.

PIT5698F Service bulletin
2026-09-26 · Unknown Or Other
This PI provides Diagnostics tips on how the LIN bus works and how to diagnosis it.
PIP4902W Service bulletin
2026-09-04 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIT5099J Service bulletin
2026-07-21 · Unknown Or Other
PI to help diagnose A/C concern
PIP6113 Service bulletin
2026-05-19 · Unknown Or Other
This document provides the technician with a diagnostic tip if the vehicle stalls and set diagnostic trouble code P0191 and may also set P0172. The diagnostic tip has the technician inspect the high pressure fuel pump body markings to confirm it is an original manufacture part. If it is not an original manufacture part, they should install one and evaluate the vehicle.
PIT3271Q Service bulletin
2026-04-01 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel and tires size change is available.
PIP6104 Service bulletin
2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and upload to a Technical Assistance Case in CX Connect.
PIP4902V Service bulletin
2026-03-09 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.
PIP4902U Service bulletin
2026-01-08 · Unknown Or Other
This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into Technical Assistance.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
B3055 B3055 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	10 bulletins
B3060 B3060 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	10 bulletins
B3935 B3935 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	10 bulletins
P0300 P0300 on Buick →	Misfire detected, but not isolated to one cylinder.	Engine · Ignition coils →	7 bulletins
P0308 P0308 on Buick →	Cylinder 8 is misfiring.	Engine · Ignition coils →	7 bulletins
P050D P050D on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	7 bulletins
B101D B101D on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	5 bulletins
P015B P015B on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	5 bulletins
P1101 P1101 on Buick →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	5 bulletins
P015A	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Engine	4 bulletins
P0442 P0442 on Buick →	A small leak in the evaporative emissions system.	Fuel/Propulsion System · Gas cap →	4 bulletins
B0158	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Equipment	3 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 3.4%

failed emissions

715 initial inspections of 702 vehicles.

Measure	The 2016 Verano	Every 2016 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	3.4%	4.2%	714
Failed the safety inspection	2.0%	2.2%	715
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.42%	0.27%	715
Miles driven a year	7,399	10,028	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	76,388	103,109	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Verano by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2017 A 1 9 24 mpg 2016 this page B 2 59 24 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 Verano

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 Buick Verano have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 2 recall campaigns for the 2016 Buick Verano. The most serious on file is 16V595000, covering Fuel System, Gasoline. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 Buick Verano?

NHTSA gave the 2016 Buick Verano 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it B (85/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Buick Verano?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Buick Verano, the best EPA combined figure is 24 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2016 Buick Verano?

Transport Canada measured it at 183.9 in long, 71.3 in wide (body, without mirrors), 58.3 in tall, on a 105.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,300 lb. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Buick Verano?

Owners have filed 59 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Buick Verano, most often about air bags, electrical system, engine. Of those, 1 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 2 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 Buick Verano?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Buick Verano is 6 out of 10. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. The certificate names the standard as Bin 4.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Buick Verano?

The manufacturer has filed 1059 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Buick Verano, most often covering equipment, electrical system, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-09-26. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2016 Buick Verano do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Buick Verano failed the emissions check on 3.4% of first inspections — close to the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 2.0% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	3 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	3 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	2	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	59	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	1 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	1059	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	7 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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